"Advertising is the most 'important' element in the promotion mix." Discuss whether you agree or disagree by evaluating the other elements of the promotion mix. PART 1 ADVERTISING

Introduction The concept of the promotion mix is defined by Arens as "a blend of communications tools used by a firm to carry out the promotional process to communicate directly with target markets." (Arens, pg. 8) In a sense the promotional mix represents the tools and activities of promotion. These processes and activities are then coordinated through integrated marketing communications (IMC) in order to attempt to create a synergistic effect to a campaign. The elements involved …

…advertising is an effective means to disseminate information. These observations lead me to the conclusion that advertising in its many forms can be very effective in achieving a businesses desired goal. However, this doesn't make it the most effective element of the promotional mix. That is not to say that any other elements of the promotional mix are more or less important, but that they simply play different roles in implementing an effective IMC campaign.